Snap-switch



(No Mod-e1.) l

J. S. GIB'BS.

SNAP SWITCH.

No. 557,198. Patented Mar. 3l, 1896.,`

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Il H l 'm y l (5,7@ y u %w7 UNITED .STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JACOB S. GIBBS, OF HARTFORD, CONNEOTIOT.

SNAP-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 557,198., dated March31, 1896.

Application filed January 20, 1896. Serial No. 576,099. (No mdel.)

To all whom t may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JACOB S. GIBBS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSnap-Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the class of snapswitches that have acommutator-block adapted to be rotated, the rotating-spring being madetense by the turning of the handle and the block being held againstrotation until the spring has been made tense t0 the proper degree, whenfurther movement of the handle causes the parts to unlock the block, sothat it is thrown with a quick snap to make or break an electriccircuit.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, and durableswitch of this class in which the parts will be interchangeable, themovement positive and sure, and the degree of strength of theblock-rotating spring readily regulated.

To this end the invention resides in a snapswitch having a base ofinsulating material provided with the usual binding-posts, stationarycontacts or poles, and a locking part with a rotary handle-spindle, arotary block bearing the movable contacts or poles, a spring connectionbetween the spindle and the block, and also a rack-and-pinion lock borneby the spindle and the block and adapted to engage and disengage withthe locking part on the base, as more particularly hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan of the switchwith the handle and cover removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line A,looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 3 is a section on the lineB, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 4 is a plan of the base,the upper stationary contacts and the commutator-block being removed.Fig. 5 is a plan of the under side of the commutator-block, showing therack-andpinion locking device; and Fig. 6 is a detail edge view of thelocking-bolt.

In the views, l indicates the base, which is usually made circular inoutline, of wood, porcelain, or any other suitable insulating material.To this base are securedthe pairs of binding-posts 2 and 4, to which theends of the incoming and outgoing circuit-wires are attached. rIhebinding-posts 2 are con` nected with the metallic poles 3, which Iwillterm the lower stationary contacts, and the bi riding-posts 4 areconnected with the metallic poles 5, which I will term the upperstationary contacts. The lower stationary contacts Vmay or may not beformed of spring' forms one part of the locking device that re tains thecommutator-block until the spring has been made sufficiently tense toproperly throw the block, so as to suddenly join or disjoin thestationary contacts.

A central opening is formed in the base, and the locking-disk may havethe bushing 7 fitting this opening, if desired, and rotarily heldagainst longitudinal movement in this opening or by the bushing is ahandle-spindle 8. (The handle provided for this spindle, being ofordinary construction and design, is not shown in the views.)

Provided with a central perforation, so as to be rotarily supported bythe handle-spindle, is the commutator-block 9. This block,

lwhich is formed of any suitable insulating material, is provided withconducting pieces or clips 10, arranged, preferably, on the edge, sothat when the block is rotated into certain positions they metallicallyconnect the pairs of upper and lower stationary contacts; but when theblock is rotated into other positions the upper and lower stationarycontacts are not connected metallically. The central perforation is ofsuch shape that the block is free to rotate on the spindle except ascontrolled by the spring and the locking device. A spiral spring ll isusually wound about the spindle with one end connected therewith andwith the other end making contact with a portion of the block, as withthe pin 12, so that when the handle is turned the spring tends to windup and rotate the block.

In a suitable recess in the block is located IOO a pinion 13 that isborne by the spindle, and meshing with this pinion is a sliding rack orbolt I4. Then this bolt is in mesh with the pinion and the block isplaced in position on the base, the downturned end 15 of the bolt is inposition to be moved into or out of engagement with the teeth 6 on thebase. With the throwing-spring tense and tending to rotate the blockwith relation to the spindle the pinion 011 the spindle through the rackmoves the bolt back into the recess to the limit of its play, as shownin Fig. 5, and when in this position the downward-prejecting end engagesone of the teeth (3 on the base, so that the block cannot be rotated;but when the handle is turned to make the sprin g more tense thespindle, through the pinion and rack, moves the bolt outward from therecess until at the proper predetermined time when the spring has beenmade suiiiciently tense by the turning of the handle the bolt is movedto such an extent as to pass out of the locking-tooth and allow theblock to be rotated rapidly under the impulse of the nowsuiiiciently-tense spring.

Of course as the block rotates the spindle remains stationary for thetime being and the bolt is drawn in by the meshing rack and pinion andengages the next locking-tooth on the base, so as to hold the block inthat position until the spring is again made tense and the bolt movedout from the tooth.

lith this construction the locking of the bolt against the teeth on thebase is positive and the movement is positively determined and the blockstopped at the proper position by the next tooth. The throwing tensionof the spring can be regulated at any time by changing the relativerelation of the pinion and rack, for if the rack is set with relation tothe pinion so that but a sm all turn of the spindle suffices to move thebolt far enough to release the block from the lock then the spring willhave but little strength, for the rotation of the spindle will be small;but if the bolt is set way in it will take considerable of a rotation ofthe pinion to sufficiently move the bolt for unlocking, and thus thespring will be made quite tense before the block is allowed to rotate.This can originally be regulated by properly proportioning the teeth ofthe pinion and the teeth of the rack for the bolt, and this can also beregulated at any time by changing the meshing of the teeth of the pinionand the rack.

The switch is simple, cheap, durable, and effective on account of thisconstruction, which allows of adjustment and insures a rapid. andpositive make-and-break movement of the commutator-bloclc I claim as myinventionl. In an electric switch, in combination, a base bearingcontacts, binding parts and a number of ratchet-teeth, a spindle, acominutator block bearing conducting pieces adapted to connect thecontacts on the base, a spring for throwing the block, a lockingboltadapted to engage and disengage the teeth on the base, and a rack andpinion for moving the bolt, substantially as specied.

2. In an electric switch, in combination, an insulating-base bearingconducting-contacts, wire-binding parts and a plural number ofratchetteeth, a rotary handle-spindle, a rotary commutator block,conducting-pieces borne by the block and adapted to connect the contactson the-base, a pinion connected with the spindle, a locking-bolt bearinga rack movable in a recess in the commutator-block, saidrack moving withthe pinion and a bolt engaging the locking-teeth, and aspring with oneend connected with the spindle and with the other end connected with theblock, substantially as speciiied.

3. In an electric switch, in combination with an insulating-baseprovided with contacts, binding parts, ratchet-teeth and a rotaryhandle-spindle, a commutator-block bearing on portions of its edgesmetallic clips adapted to connect the contacts on the base, andsupporting in a recess a rack-and-pinion-operated locking-bolt,substantially as speciied.

JACOB S. GIB 3S.

Witnesses HARRY R. WILLIAMS, E. J. HYDE.

